87 companies to set up 18,160 seats in BPO/ITeS under IBPS

As many as 87 companies have entered into preliminary agreement with Software Technology Parks of India (STPI) to set up 18,160 seats in BPO/ITeS operations across the country, Parliament was informed on Wednesday.

This represents about 38 per cent of the 48,300 seats targeted under the India BPO Promotion Scheme (IBPS).IBPS, along with North East BPO Promotion Scheme (NEBPS), was launched to create employment opportunities and promote investment in IT and ITeS sectors, particularly in small cities/towns including rural areas.

"These schemes provide capital support along with special incentives like encouraging employment to women and physically disabled persons, promoting local entrepreneurs... up to Rs 1 lakh/seat in the form of Viability Gap Funding (VGF)," Electronics and IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said in a written reply to the Lok Sabha.

He added that the Indian BPO industry provides employment to about 10 lakh people.

The IBPS has an outlay of Rs 493 crore and envisages setting up of 48,300 seats, particularly in small cities and towns, including rural areas. The NEBPS has an allocation of Rs 50 crore and aims to support setting up of 5,000 seats.

"Under IBPS, till date 87 companies have entered into preliminary agreement with STPI (implementing agency of IBPS) to set up BPO/ITeS operations for a total of 18,160 seats distributed around 63 locations covering 19 states and 2 union territories," Prasad said.

He added that under NEBPS, till date 11 companies have entered into preliminary agreement with STPI for a total of 1,610 seats distributed across seven locations covering five states of North East region.